More than 98% of the 791 people under treatment for HIV in the Health Area of Ibiza and Formentera are undetectable, a fact that confirms the progress in the control of the infection in the Pitiusas. Being undetectable, stresses specialist Esther García Almodóvar, “means that they have so little virus in their blood that the tests do not detect it”, which means that they cannot transmit the infection. This indicator places the island in a scenario of care consolidation, especially relevant to the commemoration of World AIDS Day, this Monday.
“Being undetectable is of great importance, both on a personal level, because treatment turns what was a fatal disease into a controlled chronic condition, and on a collective level, because if the person is undetectable, he or she does not transmit the infection,” explains Dr. García Almodóvar from the HIV Unit of the Can Misses Hospital. Prevention, she adds, cannot remain in the background: “In addition to early diagnosis and treatment, prevention is fundamental”.
Clinical monitoring: 791 patients and continued increase in follow-up
The Health Area has registered a 4.3% growth in the number of people under treatment compared to last year, from 758 to 791 users in 2025, according to official information from the Ibizan public hospital. This increase is part of a sustained trend, driven by therapeutic advances that reduce mortality and make it possible to maintain a stable follow-up. The Pharmacy Service will serve 715 people in 2023, 692 in 2022, 620 in 2021, and 637 in 2020, according to internal records.
New diagnoses: slight decrease but increased access to treatment
The Microbiology Service of the Hospital Can Misses confirmed 38 new HIV diagnoses in 2025, compared to 39 the previous year, a decrease of 2.5%. However, the most significant variation is not in the number of cases, but in the healthcare response: 32 of the people diagnosed this year went for consultation to start treatment, much higher than the 17 recorded in 2024. The increase in treatment initiations reinforces early diagnosis and early intervention, considered by specialists to be the most effective strategy to curb transmission.
No waiting list and growing demand for PrEP
The PrEP clinic, aimed at people at risk of contracting HIV, provides prophylaxis to 174 users and has no waiting list, despite having started its activity with a capacity for 50 people. This increase reflects the progressive integration of
CAITS, Pharmacy and a multidisciplinary unit
The approach to HIV on the island is supported by a health structure that includes the HIV Unit, made up of specialists in Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Microbiology and Nursing, in addition to the Pharmacy Clinic and the Sexually Transmitted Infection Care Clinic (CAITS), which offers care by appointment from Monday to Friday. According to the Health Area, the epidemiological profile of the new diagnoses has not changed in recent years: men who have sex with men, aged between 35 and 40.
World AIDS Day information table
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, the Health Area of Ibiza and Formentera will set up an information table tomorrow at the main entrance of Building D of the Can Misses Hospital, in collaboration with La llave del armario and the Red Cross. Professionals from the HIV Unit, microbiologists and Hospital Pharmacy staff will attend to those who request information on prevention, diagnosis and treatment, with the aim of raising awareness and highlighting the importance of early diagnosis.
